Sanitary liquid specimen collector

ABSTRACT

There is disclosed a sanitary liquid specimen collector which comprises a container having an open top end and a closed bottom end in combination with a receptacle having a first open end and a second open end. One end of the receptacle is adapted to slidably engage the open top end of the container such that a portion of the receptacle covers the top inner surface of the container and the top outer surface of the container, thereby preventing contamination of both the specimen and of the container due to inadvertent contact between the specimen being collected and the open ended surface of the container.

0 United States Patent 1191 1111 3,7 11,871 Sherin 14 1 Jan. 23, 1973 1 SANITARY LIQUID SPECIMEN 3,161,891 12/1964 Bauman ..4 110 COLLECTOR 2,727,651 12/1955 Michelson ..220/42 c 3,625,064 -l2/l97l Hinmar1,Jr. etal. ..4/110 X [75] lnventor: Michael H. Sher-in, Fontana, Wis.

73 Assignee: Sage Products Inc., Elk Grove, 111. Primary Examiner-Henry Ar'tis Attorney-Melvin F. .lager et a]. [22] F11ed: Feb. 2, 1972 21 Appl. No.: 222,912 [571 ABSTRACT There is disclosed a sanitary liquid specimen collector [52] US. Cl ..4/1 10 which comprises a container having an Open top end 1511 Int. Cl. E0311 13/00 and a end combinafim with a rebel" [58] Field of Search i 137 138 tacle having a first open end and a second open end.

4/141 142 5 5 1 One end of the receptacle is adapted to slidably en- 219/439 g 86/3 gage the open top end of the container such that a portion of the receptacle covers the top inner surface Ref d of the container and the top outer surface of the conerences l e tainer, thereby preventing contamination of both the UNITED STATES PATENTS specimen and of the container due to inadvertent contact between the specimen being collected and the 3,432,866 3/1969 Schwartz ..4/l10 open ended urface of the cgntainen 3,432,864 3/1969 Schwartz ..4/1 10 3,000,015 9/1961 Hart ..4/11O 6 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures PATENTEDJAN 23 1915 ll-ll SANITARY LIQUID SPECIMEN COLLECTOR BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a sanitary liquid specimen collector or container and more particularly, to a container for collecting specimens of urine without contaminating the specimen and without contaminating the container.

Those concerned with the development of a sanitary container or collector for collecting liquid specimens, such as urine, have long recognized the need for a container wherein the liquid specimen may be collected without contaminating the specimen itself and without contaminating the container in which the specimen is to be stored. I-Ieretofore, it has been well known to utilize a jar or similar container to directly collect the urine specimen from the patient. The patient would urinate directly into the jar or container; the container would then be covered with either a snap-on cap or screw-on cap. This method of collecting the liquid specimen, however, proved unsatisfactory. Considerable difficul ty was experienced due to the contamination of the liquid specimen by the surface of the opening of the jar or container. In addition, in many instances, the jar itself would be contaminated due to overflow or imprecise filling of the container. The present invention overcomes these difficulties.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The general purpose of this invention is to provide a sanitary liquid specimen collector which embraces all of the advantages of similarly employed liquid specimen collectors and possesses none of the aforedescribed limitations. To attain this, the present invention utilizes an open-ended container in combination with a funnel-like receptacle. The funnel-like receptacle is designed so as to fit over the opening of the container in such a manner as to completely cover the inner surface of the opening in the container as well as the outer surface of the opening in the container thereby preventing the contamination of the liquid specimen as well as contamination of the container itself due to imprecise filling of the container.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a sanitary liquid specimen collector which prevents the contamination of the liquid specimen itself and which prevents contamination of the container by the liquid specimen.

Another object is to provide a sanitary liquid specimen collector wherein the specimen after collection may readily be protected from the outside environment.

, A further object is the provision of a liquid specimen collector which utilizes a funnel-like device in combination with either a container which is adapted to utilize a threaded cover or with a container which is adapted to utilize a snap-on cover.

Still another object is to provide a sanitary urine specimen collector which is capable of diverting and funnelling a stream of urine into a specimen container without contaminating the specimen and without contaminating the container.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an exploded plan view, partly in section, of the preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a top view of the invention shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a plan view, partly in section, of the invention shown in FIG. I in its assembled form.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference characters designate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, there is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention, a sanitary liquid specimen collector 10. The liquid specimen collector 10 is a two-part device and comprises a container 12 and a receptacle means 14. The container 12 may comprise any conventional type of jar or container and may be made from plastic, glass or any other suitable substance. The receptacle means 14 may comprise a rigid or semirigid receptacle made of plastic material or the like having a first open end 16 and a second open end 18. In the preferred embodiment, the diameter of the first open end 16 is greater than the diameter of the second open end 18, thereby forming a funnel-like receptacle. However, it will be recognized that the diameters of the first open end 16 and the second open end 18 are arbitrary and may be equal or the second open end 18 may even have a larger diameter than the first open end 16.

The container 12 comprises a closed end 20 and an open end 22. A lip-like projection 24 is provided adjacent to the open end 22. The lip-like projection 24 comprises an inner surface 26 and an outer surface 28. In the preferred embodiment, the lip-like projection 24 is integral with the container 12. However, it will be recognized by one skilled in the art that a two-piece construction may be utilized wherein the lip-like projection 24 is attached or fastened to the container 12. The lip-like projection 24 is adapted to receive a cover (not shown) which may be placed over the open end 22 when, after the specimen has been collected and when the receptacle 14 has been removed. In this regard, in the preferred form of the invention, a thread means 30 is provided around the outer surface 28 of the lip-like projection 24. When the receptacle means 14 is removed from the container 12, as shown in FIG. 1, the cover (not shown) may be screwed onto the open end 22 of the container 12. The threaded joint between the cover and the container 12 will provide a secure fit for the cover and will prevent spoilage of the collected sample. as

Again referring to FIG. 1, the receptacle means 14 further comprises a groove-like projection 32 adjacent to the second open end 18. The groove-like projection 32 is adapted to slidably engage the lip-like projection 24 of the container 12. The groove-like projection 32 in the preferred embodiment comprises a U'shaped channel 34 which is formed by a pair of members 36. The dimension of the U-shaped channel 34 is such that, as can be seen in FIG. 3, the groove-like projection 32 completely covers the surfaces 26 and 28 of the lip-like projection 24 on the container 12. In this manner, the inner surface 26 and the outer surface 28 of the container 12 are protected from contamination by the specimen. Moreover, if the thread means 30 are provided, the groove-like projection 32 is dimensioned such as to completely cover the outer surface of the thread means 30 are shown in FIG. 3.

The groove-like projection 32 and the lip-like projection 24 are dimensioned in such a manner that when the receptacle means 14 is slidably attached to the container 12, they remain frictionally engaged. However, when it is desired to separate the receptacle means 14 from the container 12 after collecting the specimen, this may be accomplished by merely pulling the receptacle 14 from the container 12.

When the liquid specimen collector is utilized for medical purposes, such as to obtain specimens of urine, the liquid specimen collector 10 is delivered to the doctor in the manner shown in FIG. 3. The receptacle means 14 is frictionally engaged with the container 12 in such a manner as to protect the inner and outer surfaces 26 and 28, respectively, of the container 12. The liquid specimen collector 10 is sterilized and placed in a sanitary bag or covering. This bag or covering containing the liquid specimen collector 10 is then given to the patient whose urine is to be sampled. The patient opens the sanitary covering; and if the patient is a male, the patient urinates through the open end 16 of the receptacle means 14. The stream of urine is diverted by the receptacle means 14 and is funnelled in a stream to the container 12. It will be noted that due to the funnellike nature of the receptacle means 14, and due to the two members 36 forming the groove-like projection 32, neither the inner surface 26 nor the outer surface 28 of the container 12 is contaminated by the specimen, nor can any particles or bacteria from the outside come in contact with the specimen itself. In addition, the threads 30 on the projection 24 are covered and, hence, will not be contaminated by the hands of the patient as the specimen is collected. After the specimen has been collected, the receptacle means 14 is then removed from the container 12 and a cover is either screwed onto the container or snapped onto the container 12 in a conventional manner.

Similarly, the liquid specimen collector 10 may be used by a female patient. In this case, it is necessary to utilize a receptacle means wherein the diameter of the first end 16 is larger than the diameter of the second end 18 to aid in the collection. Preferably, the shape of the receptacle 14 should be as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. However, other shapes may be utilized.

Thus, it can be seen that the liquid specimen collector 10 provides a sanitary method for collecting a liquid specimen without contaminating the specimen itself and without contaminating the inner and outer surfaces of the opening of the container in which the specimen is to be collected. Obviously, it should be understood that the foregoing disclosure relates to only a preferred embodiment of the invention and that numerous modifications or alterations may be made therein without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A sanitary liquid specimen collector for use in collecting an uncontaminated specimen comprising:

a container means having an open top end, a closed bottom end, and a lip-like projection adjacent to said open end wherein said lip-like projection comprises an inner surface and an outer surface;

and a receptacle means having a first open end, a second open end, and a groove-like projection adjacent to said second open end wherein said groove-like projection is adapted to engage said lip-like portion of said container whereby both said inner surface and said outer surface of said lip-like projection are covered by said receptacle means, thereby, protecting said inner and outer surfaces of said lip-like projection from contamination and wherein said lip-like projection of said container means is adapted to receive a cover means when said receptacle is removed therefrom.

2. The sanitary liquid specimen collector of claim 1 wherein said first open end of said receptacle means is larger than said second open end of said receptacle means thereby forming a funnel.

3. The sanitary liquid specimen collector of claim 1 wherein said lip-like projection of said container means includes a thread means on said outer surface wherein said groove-like projection of said receptacle means is adapted to cover both said inner surface of said lip-like projection and said thread means on said outer surface.

4. The sanitary liquid specimen collector of claim 1 wherein said groove-like projection of said receptacle means is adapted to frictionally engage said lip-like projection of said container means wherein a force greater than the weight of said container means is required to separate said receptacle means from said container means.

5. The sanitary liquid specimen collector of claim 4 wherein said groove-like projection comprises a U- shaped channel wherein said lip-like projection frictionally engages the interior of said U-shaped channel.

6. The sanitary liquid specimen collector of claim 5 wherein said receptacle means comprises a rigid or semirigid plastic-like material and wherein said container means comprises a plastic-like material. 

1. A sanitary liquid specimen collector for use in collecting an uncontaminated specimen comprising: a container means having an open top end, a closed bottom end, and a lip-like projection adjacent to said open end wherein said lip-like projection comprises an inner surface and an outer surface; and a receptacle means having a first open end, a second open end, and a groove-like projection adjacent to said second open end wherein said groove-like projection is adapted to engage said lip-like portion of said container whereby both said inner surface and said outer surface of said lip-like projection are covered by said receptacle means, thereby, protecting said inner and outer surfaces of said lip-like projection from contamination and wherein said lip-like projection of said container means is adapted to receive a cover means when said receptacle is removed therefrom.
 2. The sanitary liquid specimen collector of claim 1 wherein said first open end of said receptacle means is larger than said second open end of said receptacle means thereby forming a funnel.
 3. The sanitary liquid specimen collector of claim 1 wherein said lIp-like projection of said container means includes a thread means on said outer surface wherein said groove-like projection of said receptacle means is adapted to cover both said inner surface of said lip-like projection and said thread means on said outer surface.
 4. The sanitary liquid specimen collector of claim 1 wherein said groove-like projection of said receptacle means is adapted to frictionally engage said lip-like projection of said container means wherein a force greater than the weight of said container means is required to separate said receptacle means from said container means.
 5. The sanitary liquid specimen collector of claim 4 wherein said groove-like projection comprises a U-shaped channel wherein said lip-like projection frictionally engages the interior of said U-shaped channel.
 6. The sanitary liquid specimen collector of claim 5 wherein said receptacle means comprises a rigid or semirigid plastic-like material and wherein said container means comprises a plastic-like material. 